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Last week Bourne End (Bucks) Community Association's magazine “Target” was digitised in a joint venture between the Association and the Buckinghamshire Family History Society. .

The project will preserve the magazine for future generations and make back issues more easily available for people who are researching the local area. Since its first issue in 1965 the magazine has published countless articles on the history of Bourne End and the surrounding area. Having started as a 16 page black and white publication it is now 32 pages many in full colour. The digitising was carried out in the aptly named “Target Room” at Bourne End Community Centre

Last year the Family History Society purchased specialist digitising equipment which was used in this venture. David Foster, who managed the project for the Family History Society, said “There were 250 issues of the magazine to copy, that's almost 5000 pages. The team of four volunteers completed the task last week in just in two days. Amazingly the slowest part of the process was turning the page between taking images!”. The Society is also using its digitising equipment to photograph and help preserve old log books and other records from schools around the county. David continued, “the Society is always looking for ways in which we can work in partnership with local organisations which hold historical records”. Under the terms of this agreement between the two charitable organisations, Bucks FHS will gain access to the history articles.

The cover of the very first issue of "Target"

... and of the latest issue (Vol 43 Issue 6)

Barrie Penfold, Secretary of the Community Association and sub-editor of “Target” magazine for the past 26 years said enthusiastically, “This will make our magazine much more accessible and ensure that copies will be preserved for future generations.” She continued,”It was fun being involved in the digitisation project. There have been so many interesting articles published over the 42 years we just wanted to keep stopping to read them! We are now looking to index all the issues and publish them on our website”.

Barrie Penfold and David Foster digitising all the back issues of "Target" magazine